"Theatre is an art form defined by the existence of an audience. Theatre is ephemeral. Theatre is a here and now, in the moment, nonverbal-subtext-infused artform that lives in the energetic space between the actor and the observer in real-time with only an imaginary fourth wall to separate the two. " (S. Byrd, Personal Communication, February 14, 2021)

Introduction:

The global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted students and teachers in major ways. Most schools made a shift to virtual learning. Schools implemented the use of technology for zoom class meetings and other virtual learning tools (Delgado, Tracie, Bhark, Shun‐Je, & Donahue, Joshua, 2021). This involves a lot of pre-planning and prep so students will have access to all resources and assignments ahead of time during their virtual learning. In the article, “Best Practices for Implementing Remote Learning during a Pandemic”, Hani Morgan explains how communication between staff, teachers, and students needs to be clear; thus, the new online learning program will be more effective and successful (Hani, 2020). In Morgan’s article, it is expressed that it is important for teachers to be aware and “respond to the emotional toll” that virtual learning has on the students; hence, this change can be stressful and challenging due to the new use of technology, irregular learning environment, and new ways of communication (Hani, 2020). So, what does this transition look like for a high school theatre class? Mrs. Byrd says, "theatre students learn early that communication is 70-93% non-verbal and the transition to virtual learning meant that we were losing the ability to fully communicate and had to create new agreements and understandings in our new “classroom”." (S. Byrd, personal communication, February 14, 2021). Down below we will continue to get to know Mrs. Byrd and learn about her experience teaching theatre during the global pandemic.

Interview

Conclusion

Based on the information I reviewed, I believe that the global COVID-19 pandemic has had a multitude of effects on lesson planning, classroom environment, interactions among students and teachers, social and emotional effects, and new ways of teaching and learning. According to Delgado, Bhark, and Donahue (2021), remote learning has required teachers to double the amount of time prepping for lessons; however, students still have the opportunity to learn valuable lessons and skills. By adjusting the lesson plans, teachers are able to create new ways to learn and engage their students, while virtual learning does make student engagement more difficult, it is not impossible. In agreement with the idea that Mrs. Byrd brought up by saying that it’s “exciting to think of all the improvements surviving a pandemic might have on our educational system and the new lens through which we might address curriculum” (S. Byrd, personal communication, February 14, 2021), which gives a valuable perspective for future educators to adapt and make improvements on the educational system. I previously have mostly viewed the pandemic through my experience as a student; hence, it was truly eye-opening to hear the personal effects first-hand from a teacher and get her perspective. Overall any drastic event can happen at any time and I believe that the pandemic has forced society to make changes and address issues within the educational system and work on them moving forward.

References

Delgado, T., Bhark, S. ‐. J., & Donahue, J. (2020). Pandemic Teaching : Creating and teaching cell biology labs online during COVID ‐19. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 49(1), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21482

Morgan, H. (2020). Best Practices for Implementing Remote Learning during a Pandemic. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 93(3), 135–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2020.1751480